NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT) – Life is full of surprises, from unexpected opportunities to unseen calamities, and local businessman Eric Shick has experience with both.
Eric Shick, who operates the Eric Shick Agency, is no stranger to the curveballs life can throw at people. Obviously, being in the insurance business, helping people through the aftermath of surprise crises from vehicle accidents to house fires is par for the course. However, he’s also seen how life can surprise you in a good way, even when that means having to eat your own words.
Shick, who grew up near Rimersburg, graduated from Union High School and went on to Clarion University, where he earned a finance degree. During that time, he and one of his friends took an insurance class together that was not one of his personal favorites. According to Shick, about mid-way through the semester, he specifically told his friend, “I would never do this for a living.”
“He still reminds me of it to this day,” Shick said. “I’ve done it for 27 years now. It’s the only thing I’ve done since college.”
While the field of insurance didn’t appeal to him at first, Shick now believes he was lucky to find a career that has offered him great opportunities as well as flexibility.
“A lot of my friends have had to move, and I’ve been fortunate enough, because of my insurance career, that I could stay here,” he explained.
Shick also noted that the flexibility his career offers came in handy when dealing with some of life’s worst surprises.
“Both of my parents have had cancer. My mom died of cancer, and I was able to take time off to be with her. My dad survived, but he needed a lot of care when he was sick,” Shick said. “I’ve been able to stay here for them, and I’m very grateful for being able to find this career.”
While the perks of the job are certainly part of the appeal, it turns out that Shick’s first impression, from his college experience, was just a little off.
“I enjoy it, especially the business side of it, the commercial insurance for businesses. We handle a lot of restaurants and things like that. And I love farm insurance. I grew up around farms and working on a farm, so that helps me a lot.”
“We do a lot of farms and I love that because I can get out of the office, put on my boots, and walk around and talk to a farmer, and that’s my real passion. It’s just something I really love, and farmers are always great to work with.”
While the Eric Shick Agency offers everything from personal lines of insurance including insurance for homes, automobiles, ATVs, motorcycles, and boats to business and farm insurance, one of the things that sets them apart from many other agencies is their financial services.
“While insurance is our staple business, I feel like where we really shine is in the financial services part of the business, which is investments, retirements, pension plans, and 401K’s,” Shick said.
“We do exceedingly well in all of that. We have a full-time financial producer on staff, and we finished in the top ten in the entire company in some of those areas, so I’m pretty proud of that.”
Between the financial services and the multitude of insurance options they offer, the Shick Agency staff keeps busy, but they always have time for anyone interested in the services they have available.
“We always say we do things a bit differently than most insurance agencies because we kind of offer everything under one roof.”
“We can sit down and do a financial portrait for a client and find what’s right for them instead of saying ‘oh we have this investment, and it’s right for you’. We find the need and go out and look for the product.”
Contact the Eric D. Shick Agency at 724-763-1761 to learn more about the services they provide.
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